New Jersey School’s Solar Energy Plan

Pohatcong Township is in Warren County New Jersey. It is located in the western portion of the state and home to the Pohatcong Township Elementary School. Since 2009 the Pohatcong School District has been taking steps for cost-saving measures in regard to energy usage and expenses. The latest step in this endeavor comes in the form of a $1.05 million field of solar panels at the elementary school. These would be ground-mounted and enclosed in their own section of the school’s property and would span two acres. There will be 1,694 solar panels that generate roughly 25,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year.

The Pohatcong Township Elementary School would save almost $100,000 dollars a year in electric costs and they can also use the new panels to help sell solar energy certificates. These certificates would be sold to electricity providers in the area that are required to have a designated portion of their electricity coming from solar power. Based on what these certificates are worth, the project would stand to make the school district roughly another $60,000 dollars in revenue. And from the sound of it, that’s per year.

Superintendent Diane Mandry said: “The Pohatcong School District is excited about being able to incorporate a solar field that will produce a significant portion of the district’s electric needs for the next 25 years, thus saving a substantial amount in operating expenses.” This is not only a great way for the Pohatcong Township Elementary School to save money, but also set the stage for other schools across the country to follow suit.

As solar panels continue to become more cost effective, using them to power not only schools, but athletic stadiums and other facilities is a great idea. Many schools across the country that are not located right in a major city have some land that they could set aside for a project such as this. It would be a great way to teach kids proper conservation habits as well as cut down on the waste that is created from the usual sources of energy. We have already seen roof-mounted solar energy installations, but utilizing a schools “campus” is a great idea to create even more potential for saving money and producing a sustainable energy source.